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Ulysses nardin watches5/26/2023 ![]() ![]() “THE WATCH INDUSTRY IS ON FIRE”Īccording to Pruniaux, exclusivity will remain a key product strategy, with Girard-Perregaux producing 25,000 watches a year, and even fewer for Ulysse Nardin at only 15,000 units annually. “The Freak collection is a big focus at Ulysse Nardin, and you should expect to see more of the Freak going forward,” said Pruniaux. In 2001, the revolutionary Freak was introduced to the world, featuring a 7-day carrousel-tourbillon with no true dial, crown or hands – at once astounding and confounding the watchmaking world, and creating a new horological icon for a modern era i n one fell swoop. This act of making the “invisible visible” was a first in watchmaking at the time, and Girard-Perregaux is perhaps best known for its Bridges collection today, in addition to its iconic Laureato collection. Steeped in tradition, their timepieces are a beautiful homage to the classical, with the brand shooting to fame for its Tourbillon ‘With Three Gold Bridges’, which transformed the bridges of a watch from a technical element into the most distinguishing feature in Girard-Perregaux’s design language. But what I like is that both have a lot of personality and a lot creativity, which they express differently,” he remarked.įor starters, Girard-Perregaux is the older sibling founded in 1791 and is one of the oldest watchmaking manufacturers still in operation in Switzerland today. “The spirit of Ulysse Nardin is very different from that of Girard-Perregaux. Moving forward, little will therefore change in terms of strategic direction for both brands, said Pruniaux. SIMILAR STRATEGY, STRATEGICALLY DIFFERENT super passionate people with great spirit and, the previous owner, had given us the freedom to do things how we believe ,” he added. “Independence has always been very strong in both brands, and you can feel that when you visit the manufacture. “We had a fantastic time with Kering but it’s great to be independent it’s really in both brands’ DNA to be independent and the consumers – the watch lovers – are so savvy and knowledgeable and this independence is also very attractive to them,” said Pruniaux, during a market visit to Singapore in August.įurthermore, the spirit of entrepreneurship had never quite left the two brands, even after they had been acquired by Kering, according to Pruniaux. Kering’s announcement of the sale was made in January this year, and it appears both brands have come full circle once independent, both now independent again. Officially, the 49-year-old is the President and CEO of Sowind Group, which now owns both Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin. “I’m going from one dream job to another,” mused Pruniaux, who effectively found himself a newly-minted entrepreneur. Pruniaux, who has also held senior positions at TAG Heuer and within LVMH prior to joining Kering, then galvanised a group of private investors and together, they purchased the 100 per cent stake that Kering was relinquishing. “It was unexpected that the Group wanted to sell the brands but when they informed me, it was obvious for me that I had to give it a try,” said Pruniaux, who was employed by Kering as CEO of Uysse Nardin first in 2017, and then appointed CEO of Girard-Perregaux the following year. “Sometimes, it can be a pain in the neck making decisions but there’s a theory where some of the more complicated decisions can be made quite rapidly because you feel it,” he candidly recalled. The two Swiss luxury watch brands had, until earlier this year, been part of French luxury conglomerate Kering, which had acquired them in 20 respectively. A few minutes was all it took for Patrick Pruniaux to decide to buy over Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin. ![]()
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